Door strike plate adjuster



Dec. 26, 1950 v c. E, MlLLER 2,535,444

DOOR STRIKE PLATE ADJUSTER Filed Sept. 17, 1948 Inventor Olqrke E. Mil/er WWW ma,

Patented Dec. 26, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Clarke E. Miller, J ohnstown, Pa.

Application September 17, 1948,. Serial No. 49,823

3 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful im- I provements in strike plates or door latch keepers and the primary object of the present invention is to provide an attachment for strike plates that yieldingly engage the latch bolt of a door to prevent the latch from rattling when the door is closed.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable striker device that will accommodate the latch bolt of a door, allowing for swelling and shrinkage of the door.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a door strike plate adjuster that is quickly and readily applied to or removed from a strike plate in a convenient manner.

A still further aim of the present invention is to provide an attachment for door latch keepers that is simple and practical in construction, strong and reliable in use, small and compact in structure, inexpensive to manufacture, and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a front elevational view illustrating the embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 2 in use;

Figure 4 is a transverse horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 44 of Figure 3; and, v

Figure 5 is a similar view as Figure 4 illustratlng the embodiment shown in Figure l in use.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration, there is disclosed a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the numeral It) represents a substantially rectangular strike plate or latch keeper having a rigid lateral projection or extension [2 adapted to seat against the bottom of a complementary recess l4 in the exposed surface It of a door jamb 18 in front and adjacent the usual latch keeper recess 20 in the door j'a'mb.

The strike plate It! is provided with an upper opening 22 adjacent the projection l2 through which the latch bolt 24 of door 26 extends into the keeper recess 20 when the door is closed.

The numeral 28 repretlfints one embodiment f the present invention generally, including a resilient, substantially U-shaped retainer member 30 having an elongated outer leg portion 32 the free edge of which is turned inwardly to provide a channel 34 that receives the outer edge of the projection 12.

The inner leg portion 36 of the member 30 extends through the opening 22 and into the recess 20 and is provided with an internally threaded aperture 38 that receivably en ages a set screw or fastener 40 having a conical end portion 42 that bears against the inner face of the strike plate It in order to move or adjust the web portion W of the U-shaped member 30 between the vertical edges Va and Vb of the opening 22.

The second embodiment of the present invention, which is desi nated generally by the numeral 44 is similar in shape and construction to that previously described, however. the fastener 40 is not employed in conjunction with the inner leg portion 46 of the U-shaped member 48.

The inner leg portion 45 of the member 48 bears again t the forward face 59 of the recess 20, as shown best in Figure 5 of the drawings. when the latch bolt 24 extends through the opening 22 and into the recess 20 and the channel 52 at the elongated outer leg portion 54 of the member 48 engages the outer edge of the proiection I2.

In view of the foregoing descri tion taken in con unction with the accompanying drawings it is'believed that a clear understanding of the device will be ouite ap arent to those skilled in this art. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein sho n and described a preferred embodiment of the invent on the same is sus eptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as herein described and the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In combination with a door latch keeper including a strike plate having a lateral projection and a latch bolt opening adjacent said projection, of a means for yieldingly retaining a latch bolt in said opening, said means compri ing an arcuate resilient member including inner and outer portions, and means at the outer portion of said member receiving and gripping the projection, the inner portion of said member extending through said opening. and means supported solely by the inner portion of said memher for spacing the same relative to said strike plate.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said spacing means includes an adjustable bearing member.

3. In combination with a door latch keeper including a strike plate having a lateral projection and a latch bolt opening adjacent said projection, of a means for retaining a latch bolt in said opening, said means comprising a U-shaped resilient member having inner and outer leg portions and a web portion joining said leg portions,

a channel on the outer leg portion of said member receiving the projection, the inner leg portion of said member being received in said opening, said inner leg portion having a threaded aperture, and a fastener threaded in said aperture and bearing against the strike plate to re- 4 tain the web portion of said member within the latch bolt opening.

CLARKE E. MILLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 Number Name Date 1,318,988 Good Oct. 14, 1919 1,796,307 Shaw Mar. 17, 1931 2,010,395 Johnson Aug. 6, 1935 i FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Great Britain Feb. 15, 1938 

